Cassandra

Experience a healing sound journey and deeply restorative yoga class. Zorg has an extensive background in yoga and will enchant you with his musical talent on the didjeridoo. He uses the sound of the didj to induce meditative states. On this journey, he will create healing sonic vibrations for each chakra as you rest in restorative yoga poses. Cassandra has been teaching yoga for 11 years and will be your verbal guide throughout the class. She is also an Ayurvedic Practitioner and energy healer.

On Mother’s Day, Sunday May 13th 2018, from 1:30-4pm, join me for a relaxing, gentle yoga class followed by an introduction to self-care, stress-management, and graceful aging through Ayurveda. Ayurveda is the sister science of yoga and is just as powerful as yoga. Combined, they are an unstoppable force for well being! This class will be appropriate for those with slightly limited mobility and for beginners, as well as the most seasoned practitioners. This workshop makes for the perfect gift and family outing, encouraging health and well being for the whole family. (However, bringing your mother is optional!) Kids 13 and up are welcome.

MONDAYS, 5:30 – 6:45P, APR 16 – MAY 21

In this gentle yoga class study series, Cassandra McDonough will work with you to target the energetic imbalance often implicated in anxiety and certain types of depression.* It comes down to this: Yoga and Ayurveda practices are meant to move energy in specific, purposeful ways. Only certain practices are appropriate for you as a unique individual, and knowing which ones are beneficial for you can help in ways you never thought possible. This is the core of Vedic knowledge, which is thousands of years old and encompasses all meditation, mindfulness, and Ayurvedic knowledge to date.

Throughout the six-week series, we will discuss the Ayurvedic pathology of mental and emotional imbalance as well as how imbalance can trigger physical disease. In our practice sessions, you will learn the techniques that can rewire your energetic body towards balance.

Do you have so much anxiety that you can’t meditate because it makes it worse?

Do you have a hard time falling asleep or wake up earlier than you want to? Insomnia?

Do you constantly feel fatigued and worn out?

Do feelings of worry, fear, or being overwhelmed get in the way of your productivity?

Learn breathing techniques, postures, and movements that help correct the energetic imbalances that create anxiety and depression.

This series is appropriate for those struggling with anxiety, overwhelm, worry, fear, panic attacks, addiction, depression, melancholy, anger, and more. Please feel free to inquire with Cassandra if you have any questions. Must be purchased as a class series. No drop-ins. Refunds are available within 48 hours after the first class if you don’t think it’s a good fit. Perfect for beginners!

“Ayurveda” is the traditional medicine system of India in the same way that Acupuncture (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is ancient healthcare from China. Ayurveda translates as the science or study of life, allowing both practitioner and client to understand the patterns that play out in predictable ways throughout a human life. During an initial consultation, a practitioner of this ancient system will assess your life as a whole, including mind, body and emotions, so as to understand which patterns are creating harmony (which in turn creates an environment for optimum health) and which patterns are creating disharmony (disease).* In the follow up visits, you are coached on how to make Ayurvedic changes in lifestyle, diet, yoga, or meditation practices to create harmony in the whole system, one small step at a time.*

Modern medicine agrees with Ayurveda that stress causes or can aggravate many diseases. It can weaken our immune system and make us more susceptible to pathogens. It can also decrease our ability to digest foods, activating our “fight or flight” nervous system instead of our “rest and digest” system. In Ayurveda, digestion is of utmost importance. Ayurveda teaches that what we cannot digest turns into poison in our bodies, even if it is the best organic, clean, whole, plant-based or paleo superfood you can buy. Poor digestion is indicated when we have gas, bloating, heartburn, burning sensations, or heavy and sluggish feelings after eating. In Ayurveda, these are the first signs of potential disease in the body – and may not be the harmless discomforts we often think them to be.

Importantly, in Ayurveda the idea of digestion is expanded to include emotional and mental digestion. When we don’t have the right tools, it is not always possible to mentally and emotionally “digest” hardships. Perhaps we could not properly assimilate our difficult experiences because we were children at the time, or perhaps we did not have the right support system as adults— the possibilities are endless. Long-term digestion issues of any kind can deplete the body of its immunity and resilience to stress, and can lead to chronic disease and fatigue. In essence, an inability to assimilate what is coming in through all of our five senses will rob you of your vitality. Yoga (which includes the science of meditation), as a sister science to Ayurveda, was never meant to be practiced without the context of Ayurveda. Undigested anxiety or grief, for example, can be skillfully digested using these two powerful systems together. Practiced on their own, each is profoundly helpful, but combined, they can have an exponentially higher healing power.

We can create a stress-free life by intentionally creating harmony through an Ayurvedic lifestyle. This process begins when your Ayurvedic practitioner calculates your unique Ayurvedic constitution and any imbalances you may have in your body and/or mind during your initial Ayurvedic consultation. Understanding your unique Ayurvedic body/mind profile helps address your unique challenges as an individual with greater accuracy and efficiency. Ayurveda teaches that nothing is right for everyone, and everything can be right for someone. This is why paleo works for some, and veganism works for others. Cassandra McDonough, Ayurvedic practitioner and yoga teacher, uses this stress reduction system to help you figure out and fine tune what will work for YOU!

Consultations are available via video chat/phone throughout the United States and in person in San Mateo, California. Sign up for a completely free, no obligation 30 minute consultation with Cassandra today to start reducing your stress!

*DISCLAIMER: CASSANDRA IS NOT LICENSED BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AS A HEALING ARTS PRACTITIONER.

Many people have been asking me how I healed my thyroid.* The answer is by stopping exercising so much, and letting my exhausted self rest– that’s why my intuition told me to do during my meditation, anyway. My healing has been greatly helped along with Ayurveda. As I am specializing in thyroid health when it comes to my Ayurveda practice, I chose to write a paper on this topic. Ayurveda validates my intuitive choices and the classic approach is outlined in this paper. If you want to know all the gory details, read the PDF below! It is pretty accessible to almost any audience but you will need to know what the basics of Ayurveda are including concepts of vata, pitta, and kapha.

Because I am finding Ayurveda SO helpful to all of my clients, particularly those that suffer from anxiety and/or depression, I am GIVING AWAY Ayurvedic intakes for a very limited time.

FREE Ayurvedic Intake ($225 value) with the purchase of 3 one hour private yoga lessons: $324 (This is mainly done in person in the SF Bay area but can also be done remotely depending on your needs. This is also available for one hour Ayurveda/meditation sessions.)